Sormovo (airfield)

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For other uses, see Sormovo.

Nizhny Novgorod Sormovo
IATA: - ICAO:
Summary
Airport type		military
Operator		Russian Air Force
Serves		Nizhny Novgorod
Elevation AMSL		249 ft (76 m)
Coordinates		56°19′6″N, 043°47′42″E
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
Direction	ft	m	Surface
06/24	9678	2950	Concrete

Sormovo (also given as Gorkiy Sormovo) is an airfield in Russia located on the outskirts of Nizhny Novgorod, some 8 km from the center city, just west of the Sokol Aircraft Plant. Legally, it is within the city's Moskovsky District, but it is commonly referred to by the name of the much better known neighborhood of Sormovo, which is to the north of the airfield.

According to the Western souces, it is a military base with MiG-25 and MiG-31 aircraft. There is also a local aircraft plant with aircraft based here. The runway dimensions suggest that this airfield was built in the 1950s as a bomber base.

As of 2000 Google Earth high-resolution satellite images showed 14 MiG-25, 6 MiG-21, and a small number of older fighters and fixed-wing aircraft. The west side of the runway has a 50 m displaced threshold; the actual runway dimension is 3000 m.

Units stationed at Nizhny Novgorod/Sormovo include 110 VTAP (110th Military Airlift Regiment) flying Ilyushin Il-76 freighters ^[1].

Locally, the airfield is known as Airfield Nizhny Novgorod (Sormovo) (Russian: аэродром Нижний Новгород (Сормово)) of the Nizhny Novogorod Sokol Aviation Plant (Russian: Нижегородский авиационный завод «Сокол»). According to Sokol's website, the plant currently manufactures MiG-31E fighter-interceptors, MiG-29UB fighter-trainers, and Yak-130 combat trainers; they also upgrade customers' MiG-21 BIS planses, and manufacture small civilian airplanes (M-101T, a light passenger turboprop, and Accord-201, an amphibious aircraft).^[2]. The factory premises are adjacent to the eastern end of the airfield.